The Billionaire's Mistake (Anya and Daniel)
MISTAKE 97

meeting felt long, and they talked about money from the divorce, taking care of the kids, and what would happen in court. Emma felt like Richard really wanted to help her. When they finished talking, Richard packed up the papers and looked at Emma with caring eyes. "We'll keep going, Emma. You can leave now. I'll make sure all our work pays off." Emma nodded thankfully. The room had heard all their secrets and plans for change.

When they left the restaurant, Emma felt stronger. The cool evening air felt nice after all the serious talk. She and Richard walked together, with the city noises in the background. But something unexpected happened.

Near the restaurant's door, someone stepped out of the shadows. It was a fancy-dressed woman who looked at Emma with both wonder and doubt.

It was Charles's girlfriend, someone from his cheating past.

The girlfriend had tried to follow Emma into the restaurant earlier but couldn't get in. She waited outside until Emma and Richard left.

"Emma!" the girlfriend called out loudly. Emma's heart jumped as her past suddenly crashed into her present.

The nice restaurant was full of happy people eating when Emma and Richard walked between the tables. Emma looked confident walking next to Richard in the soft light. Everyone around them was eating fancy food and talking quietly.

As they reached the door, a messy-looking woman rushed in, upsetting the other people eating there. She looked desperate as she ran toward Emma and Richard.

Emma frowned when she recognized Charles's girlfriend - someone she'd tried to ignore. The girlfriend fell to her knees in front of Emma, making everyone in the quiet restaurant stare.

Richard stepped between Emma and the upset girlfriend to protect Emma. Emma stepped back and looked coldly at the woman.

"Please, Mrs. Thompson, you need to understand," the girlfriend begged quietly. "I'm having Charles's baby, and I'm begging you to let me keep it."

hapter 9 Ceshanted by a Misties

Emma didn't show any feeling. "Talk to Charles about this. It's not my problem."

The girlfriend kept begging. "But he won't listen! He's scared of you-everyone knows that. He said you won't let him have a baby outside marriage. Please let me keep my baby." Emma just stared at her. "Go replace Charles. This isn't my problem."

The girlfriend, almost crying now, kept talking. "Please, I have nowhere else to go. I don't have any family, and the doctors say if I lose this baby, I might never have another one. You must understand!" Emma's face stayed cold. "I don't care about Charles's affairs. Deal with it yourselves."

The girlfriend, seeing Emma wouldn't help, spoke louder. "But he uses your name to control everything! He said you'd make me get rid of the baby, like you did with the others. Please let me keep my child!" Emma felt cold as she understood what the girlfriend was saying. She looked at the woman kneeling there, changing from not caring to getting angry. Richard shook his head a little, telling her not to speak. "I told women to get rid of their babies?" Emma asked quietly.

The girlfriend nodded while crying. "Charles said you wouldn't accept such shameful things that you'd make them end their pregnancies."

Emma was angry but stayed calm outside. "Get up. We won't talk about this here."

Richard understood how serious this was and led Emma to the door, protecting her from people watching and gossiping. The girlfriend stayed kneeling there as Emma and Richard left.

Chapter 96 Confronted by a Mistress

Outside in the cool night air, Emma started to show her feelings. "He used my name to control them, Richard? Making everyone think I-"

Richard put his hand on Emma's shoulder to comfort her. "Let's handle this privately, Emma. We can't let this get bigger."

Emma, full of mixed feelings, nodded quietly as they walked away from the restaurant. She thought about how her husband had tricked everyone, and the weight of this truth got heavier with every step they took away from the chaos they'd left behind.